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April 2026

April 07, 2026

Updating the Readings: Recent Books on Women and the Church

I’ve not been thinking a lot about teaching this year– while in Norway on a...

March 2026

March 03, 2026

Medieval Mothers of the Church: Queen Margrete and Margareta

It's March, Women's History Month, and this year, as I write about two medieval women,...

February 2026

February 03, 2026

Abuse and Ownership, Past and Present

“Countries have to have ownership and you defend ownership, you don't defend leases.” (Mr. Trump...

November 2025

November 04, 2025

Trondenes Kirke: The Northernmost Medieval Church

It’s a stunning stone church, painted white and towering over the surrounding landscape, with the...

October 2025

October 21, 2025

Mothers of the Church: Paula of Rome

Of all the passages of the Gospels, I find Christ’s words in Luke 14 to...

July 2025

July 11, 2025

Extracting Voices from the Archives: María de la Paz’s Story

Lynneth Miller Renberg’s discussion of archival silences and archival shouting in Listening to Archival Silence:...

May 2025

May 23, 2025

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Who Can Be Called “Pastor”?

It's almost Southern Baptist Convention season again and, as the argument over women's roles in...

May 05, 2025

Saving Face: An Interview with Aimee Byrd

I agreed to interview Aimee Byrd about her new book, Saving Face: Finding Myself, God,...

March 2025

March 18, 2025

Mothers of the (Nicene) Church: Helena Augusta

As I stared at the fragments of the cross of Christ on display in the...

March 03, 2025

Systems and Shields: A Women’s History Month Reflection

It’s March, which means it’s Women’s History Month– and while in past years at the...

January 2025

January 07, 2025

Lessons from Remembering “The Mary We Forgot”

For me, the days off around the holidays traditionally include many things: more baked goods...

November 2024

November 05, 2024

“For Our Daughters”: Women’s & Gender Studies and Higher Ed

I'm pleased to be able to welcome Dr. Katherine Goodwin Lindgren back to the Anxious...

October 2024

October 30, 2024

Why Blog About the History and Theology of Gender and Race?

I often blog about gender history and theology for the Anxious Bench. I also blog...

September 2024

September 25, 2024

Women and Gender at the Conference on Faith and History

One of my favorite academic societies, the Conference on Faith and History, holds its biennial...

August 2024

August 28, 2024

Recent Books: Women, Gender, and Sex in US Religious History

It’s time for one of my favorite semesters for books! Every four semesters I teach...

July 2024

July 16, 2024

Mothers of the Church: Faltonia Betitia Proba

In 362, Emperor Julian effectively banned Christians from teaching pagan texts, such as Homer’s Iliad...

June 2024

June 04, 2024

Swimsuits, Stones, and Shepherds: Patristic Takes on Modesty

Summer. The time of year for slower days, sunshine, summer camps, outdoor adventures, and… the...

May 2024

May 22, 2024

Why is Christianity Today rankled by Taylor Swift?

(This month, I am taking a short break from my megachurch visits series.) Over at...

March 2024

March 19, 2024

Mothers of the Church: Pulcheria

The Council of Chalcedon is famously the standard of Christological orthodoxy. The definition put forth...

March 05, 2024

Seats at the Table: Lessons from a Medieval Queen’s Policies

Framed as just another part of the long and interesting reign of Margrete I, the...

March 04, 2024

What Happened with Rosaria Butterfield?

Several weeks ago, while browsing at my local public library, I came across Rosaria Butterfield’s...

February 2024

February 26, 2024

Christian Imperial Feminism: An Interview with Gale Kenny

In recent years, the role of Christianity in the development of American empire has received...

February 20, 2024

Texas Megachurch Pastor Talks about Genocide

Hi! I am a cultural sociologist searching out Christian Nationalism in Texas Megachurches. I’m looking...

January 2024

January 02, 2024

Living in Light of Christmas: Thoughts for the New Year

As the calendar turns to another year, commercials and advertisements and media all yell loudly...

November 2023

November 29, 2023

The Education of Beth Moore: A Review of All My Knotted-Up Life

It's the most wonderful time of the year: the time to buy all your friends...

October 2023

October 25, 2023

The Elisabeth Elliot We Never Knew: An Interview with Lucy Austen

I am delighted to welcome Lucy S. R. Austen to the Anxious Bench to talk...

October 03, 2023

Tradition! (But What Is It?)

This post is part of a series at the Anxious Bench on ‘Contested Ideas in...

September 2023

September 27, 2023

The Oberlin Option: A Sending City on a Hill

Can we create a perfect world? That was the title of a talk I gave...

September 19, 2023

Mothers of the Church: Blandina

Enduring violence has long been part of the Christian story—Stephen was stoned (Acts 7:54-60), Paul...

August 2023

August 15, 2023

Mothers of the Church: Macrina the Younger

Icons, pictures, and mosaics of the “Three Holy Hierarchs”, also called “the Cappadocians”, are common...

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